Members Of 2011 Cup Team Serve As Bruins Honorary Banner Captains For Game 1 Of Stanley Cup Final
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Stanley Cup Final was back in Boston on Monday night. Some champions were on hand to welcome it back.
Members of the 2011 Stanley Cup-champion Boston Bruins served as honorary banner captains for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Bruins and St. Louis Blues.
Andrew Ference, Michael Ryder, Rich Peverley, Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell, Daniel Paille and Chris Kelly were in attendance to partake in the ceremony.
Special Olympian Liam O'Brien also served as honorary banner captain, along with the Bruins.
The waving of the banner capped off an extraordinarily long wait for hockey in Boston. The Bruins last played on May 16, after sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. After waiting to see which team emerged from the West, the Bruins learned that Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final would have to wait until the end of Memorial Day weekend.
Hockey fans were clearly eager for the return of hockey on Monday, with thousands of fans filling both the pregame concert at City Hall Plaza and the Fan Fest on Canal Street hours before puck drop.
Five players from that 2011 team -- captain Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask -- are on the 2019 team currently playing in the Cup Final.
The Bruins entered Monday night's game on a seven-game winning streak. They also were undefeated when a Patriots player waved the flag. Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and David Andrews all previously served as banner captains this postseason. Other banner captains this postseason have included Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk, Marc Savard, Aly Raisman, and Jaylen Brown.
